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Airman overcomes cancer, continues to serve (and has perfect PT score)

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Justin Brockhoff and Master Sgt. Mike Sanders
  • 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Editor's Note: This is part one of a three-part series about an Airman's battle with cancer and how his commitment to faith, family and service helped him return to duty.

Master Sgt. Mike Sanders has been familiar with the word "competition" for a while.

Before the cancer, the word mostly applied to running ... in the wake of the last year-and-a-half, which included radical neck dissection, chemotherapy, radiation, physical therapy, and learning to swallow again, Sergeant Sanders will be the first to tell you that a lot of things, even the way we define words, can change instantly.

His definition of competition went from an athletic event, to literally fighting and competing to live. He'll also be the first to tell you that during the tough times the things that get you through are family, friends and faith.

A "competitive" nature

Sergeant Sanders' competitive nature started out early, as a high-school athlete.

"I tried out for the track team my junior year of high school and the coach, Clyde Briley, told me he had no room for a '6 minute miler'. So, that summer, I trained like crazy."

Training "like crazy" meant a lot of miles in Louisiana's summer heat and humidity. When he started training, Mike Sanders couldn't run two miles without losing his lunch. At the end of the fall, he finished fifth in the fall state cross country meet, and when spring rolled around, he was good enough for the track team.

"Coach Briley supported me all the way for which I'm still grateful and we still stay in touch with each other," said Sergeant Sanders. "I learned a lot about competition and setting goals. Lessons that motivated me for a long, long time."

Fast forward 26 years.

Master Sgt. Sanders, who was in the Air Force 18 years at the time, and his wife, Laurie, and daughter, Jenna, were living in Portland, Ore. (their son Shawn, was in Georgia). Sergeant Sanders was stationed at the University of Portland, as part of an Air Force trial program evaluating the use of enlisted members as instructors for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets -- something previously reserved only for commissioned officers.

"It was pretty competitive just to be considered for the job," added Sergeant Sanders, who was selected from a pool of more than 200 applicants. "It was an honor to help prepare future officers to serve in the Air Force."

Sergeant Sanders' assignment in Oregon was coming to a close and he found out he and the family would be moving to Scott Air Force Base sometime in the fall; another good assignment for someone with a competitive and accomplished career ...

The Lump -- January 2007

In January 2007, Sergeant Sanders noticed a lymph node swelling in his neck, and like most guys, shrugged it off.

"I thought I was fighting a cold or something," said the then 44-year-old. "[The doctor] thought nothing of it, but did say if it hadn't gone down by August for me to have a re-eval. In July, I just wasn't feeling up to par ... I had low energy and my racing times were starting to slow, so I went back in."

This time, the doctor had more cause for concern. Antibiotics hadn't reduced the swelling, which indicated the cause of the lump in Sergeant Sanders' neck wasn't a virus.

"We did a battery of tests and I had a few appointments with two different ear, nose and throat specialists. The last one ran a scope down my nose to the back of my throat and pulled it right back out and said it didn't look good ... 'It looks like cancer,' he said."

Sergeant Sanders didn't let that stop his daily activities. He continued his daily routines, including running, which eased his nerves, and he was able to share the information with his friends to which many were willing to support and help him.

The only way to ensure what was really going on in his neck was to have surgery to cut out a few lymph nodes and have them examined. The surgery took place in August 2007. With Laurie by his side, Sergeant Sanders checked into the hospital, and went through the normal wickets for a surgical procedure.

The official results of the biopsy would take four days to receive, but the ENT doctor had already shared with Laurie that when he pulled out the lymph nodes that it was cancer. This was hard for Laurie and as she shared the news with her husband, they both wept.

"I'll never forget what it was like waiting for the official biopsy results," said Sergeant Sanders. "We were so full of anxiety, but trusted that God's plan for us was going to work out."

Diagnosis and redefining "competition" -- September 2007

It was Monday, Sept. 10, 2007, when doctors officially diagnosed Sergeant Sanders with squamous cell carcinoma, a form of cancer with more than a million new cases annually, according to the American Cancer Society.

In most cases, it comes as form of skin cancer, which involves a simple excision for treatment, but in rare cases, the cancer may spread to lymph nodes or distant sites, which require more intensive care ... Sergeant Sanders' cancer fell into the latter category.

"It's the type of thing you never forget," said Sergeant Sanders. "I got the phone call and it took a few moments to sink in, and once it did, it was like a tidal wave. I thought I was prepared to hear it because it was leading to a cancer diagnosis, but the actuality of it just made me hurt and cry ... so many thoughts went through me."

The diagnosis meant that Sergeant Sanders would have to begin treatment just as he was scheduled for a permanent change of station to the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott AFB. He ultimately decided to receive treatment in the St. Louis area, near his new duty location, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

"That's the day that I really had to change my focus," he added. "My competition was now cancer and I wanted to beat it!  I had too much to live for: my faith, my family and all the others that have been diagnosed with cancer."

Editor's Note: Part two of the series about Master Sgt. Sanders will be posted on the AMC Web site the week of May 11 and will detail the course of his fight with cancer from diagnosis through treatment.  Part three will appear the week of May 18, and will detail Sergeant Sanders' recovery from chemotherapy up to today as a one year-plus cancer survivor.